Julianne Sumego
Alter or Recreate the Learning Environment
Altering or recreating the learning environment is when you change the classroom around to make it feel like it is a whole new setting. For instance, you can rearrange the desks to rows on an airplane, sitting in a circle around a campfire, sailing on a boat, or even traveling across America in wagons. This learning technique helps to generate interest about the information that the students are learning. Instead of just teaching the class in a regular classroom setting, the teacher can transform it to create active participation in the social studies unit (or for any subject).
Strengths: This learning strategy helps to promote an active learning environment. It allows the students to get involved in the material in a different setting than just the traditional classroom. The students have to use their imagination and creativity to get involved in the lesson.
Weaknesses: There is limited space in a classroom, so there are limited activities that you can do with the students. This technique usually does not get the students up and moving around the classroom, it simply rearranges the desks to create a “different classroom.”
Mini Lesson- Introduction to the Revolutionary War
I will gather information to learn what we need to focus on as a class, and what interests the class about this particular subject. From here, I will plan lessons according to the data that I gather from this first mini lesson.
Procedures:
1. The desks will be set up in a circle representing a campfire.
2. The “Towson Troops” will start off by marching to the next campsite, which will be our next unit.
3. Everyone can warm up by the fire while we discuss our new battle plans. We will be learning about the Revolutionary War. The class will receive their food rations for the night. (lollipop)
4. I will ask the soldiers what they already know about the Revolutionary War. Everyone will pair up with the person next to them to discuss things that they already know.
5. We will then partner up again and discuss things that we want to know. The students will again get to share their ideas.
6. We will conclude the lesson by lining up, and marching to our next site.